Sheet dispensing device



Feb.'20, 1968 KMENLOE ETAL 3,369,699

SHEET DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Aug. 18, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 tLLg.5

YIIIIIIIIIIIL u u I," u n WQ: JW

Feb. 20, 1968 K. M. ENLOE ET AL 3,369,699

SHEET DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Aug. 18, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet United States Patent 3,369,699 SHEET DISPENSING DEVICE Kenneth M. Enloe, Neenah, and Karl E. Sager, Appleton, Wis., assignors to Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Neenah, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 18, 1966, Ser. No. 573,375 11 Claims. (Cl. 22148) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved dispensing carton for interfolded facial tissue sheets in which thin flexible sheet material, disposed in a top carton opening and adapted to provide a flexible slot through which the sheets are sequentially dispensed, has its upper surface in the area immediately adjacent the slot roughened, or otherwise modified, to

increase its coefficient of friction. When the edges of the This invention relates to improvements in sheet dispensing cartons. More specifically it relates to improvements in the construction of dispensing openings in cartons of the type employed to control sequential dispensing of interfolded facial tissues or the like.

In US. Patent No. 3,239,097, which issued to J. D. Bates et al. on Mar. 8, 1966, there is shown an improved dispensing carton for interfolded tissues wherein the dispensing opening of a tissue carton is modified by having a pair of thin flexible members bonded to the inner wall of the carton to bridge the opening and provide a pair of lip-like constricting members through which interfolded tissues may he sequentially drawn. Such an arrangement has proved itself to be effective in improving sequential dispensing of interfolded tissues and, to a large extent, has reduced the frequency of undesirable interruptions in sequence caused by tissues falling back through the opening, or having more than one tissue pull through the opening when only one is'desired by the user.

Even though the above-described construction substantially reduces the incidence of such dispensing failures, still further improvement was desirable, especially with respect to fall back of tissues when the supply of tissues is nearly depleted and the level of the stack approaches the bottom of the carton.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to provide improvements in the construction of dispensing containers for interfolded sheets or tissues, with said improvements being designed to substantially reduce the frequency of interruptions which ordinarily occur during sequential dispensing of such sheets or tissues.

A further object is to provide an improved dispensing arrangement for interfolded tissues in which the flexible dispensing slot through which tissues are withdrawn is modified to increase frictional resistance to tissue movement in one direction for better dispensing control.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent upon examination of the drawings and description, the scope of the invention being defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of a carton of interfolded tissues having the leading tissue partially drawn through a dispensing slot in- ICC corporating the improved construction of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a section taken along line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1 showing the flexing action of constricting lips in the dispensing slot in the FIG. 1 carton while a tissue is being withdrawn.

FIGURE 3 is a section similar to FIG. 2 showing the reverse flexing of constricting lips in a dispensing slot after the leading tissue has been withdrawn and the next following tissue is held in the slot ready for withdrawal from the carton.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a carton of the general type illustrated in FIG. 1, showing another embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of a carton showing another embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIGURE 8 is a -plan view of a carton showing another embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

This invention solves a dispensing problem which arose when manufacturers began producing packaged tissues containing greater numbers of tissues. For many years, standard tissue packages contained from to 200 twoply tissues. As usage increased, customer demand caused the introduction of larger size packages containing as many as 300 to 400 two-ply tissues.

When these larger size packages were introduced, the number of complaints received from users with respect to unsatisfactory dispensing increased. Of these complaints, the two most common were found to-be fall back, wherein a following tissue drops back through the dispensing slot after the leading tissue has :been withdrawn, and double pull. wherein more than one tissue comes out when the leading tissue is withdrawn.

The frequency of complaints with respect to each of these problems was dramatically reduced when the carton described in US. Patent 3,239,097 was introduced. However, still further improvement was desired with respect to the fall back problem. The present invention solves the problem by increasing the coefiicient of friction on the upper surface of the smooth sheet material used to provide flexible constricting lips in the dispensing opening.

FIG. 1 illustrates a generally rectangular tissue dispensing carton 10 of form-sustaining sheet stock such as cardboard or the like, containing a stack of interfolded tissues 12. The top wall 14 of the carton 10 is provided with a dispensing opening, generically designated 13. As shown, opening 13 is in the form of a narrow, truncated ellipse, but various other shapes may be used.

The opening 13 in top wall 14 has disposed therein thin smooth flexible material 15, such as light-weight polyethylene film or the like. The film 15 is fastened to the underside of wall 14 by suitable adhesive and is provided with a slot 16, extending down the longitudinal center-line of opening 13, through which individual tissues from an interfolded stack 12 are sequentially withdrawn. Leading tissue 11 from stack 12 is shown threaded through slot 16, and a following tissue interfolded with tissue 11 is designated 11a.

The smooth flexible material or film -15 may comprise a single sheet, in which the dispensing slot 16 is formed by means of a perforated line of weakening. The unbroken portions of the line of weakening maintain the film intact while the carton is in storage, and are easily broken for access to the sheets when the carton is made ready for use. Alternatively, the flexible material 15 forming dispensing slot 16 may comprise a pair of sheets disposed either in side-by-side relationship, or overlapped engagement, to form the dispensing slot.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the upper surface of the film 15 immediately adjacent the areas on each side of dispensing slot 16 has applied thereto a coating 17 of colloidal silica. This coating increases the coeflicient of friction of the upper film surface adjacent dispensing slot 16. When leading tissue 11 is withdrawn from the carton 10 the flexible lips of material 15 forming slot 16 are drawn upward into an arced configuration (FIG. 2). The smooth undersurface 18 of the film material 15 permits the forward portion of following interfolded tissue 11a to slip through dispensing slot 16 while frictionally engaged with leading tissue 11.

After leading tissue 11 is completely withdrawn from the carton, the forward portion of following tissue 11a is held ready for withdrawal by being gripped in slot 16. However, because tissue 11a is weighted down by frictional engagement wtih the next following tissue 11b, tissue 11a tries to slide back into the carton. In most cases, the gripping force exerted on tissue 11a by the constricting flexible lips of the narrow slot 16 is suflicient to hold tissue 11a from falling back completely inside the carton, even though the downward gravitational force exerted by the sliding action and weight of the following tissues causes the flexible lips of material 15 to are downwardly as shown in FIG. 3. When a carton of tissues is half full or more, the downward force exerted by the tissues is reatively small and the gripping force exerted on the tissue by the downwardly arced lips is suflicient to hold the leading tissue in proper position. Accordingly, at this stage there are no problems with respect to fall back. However, as the level of tissues becomes lower in the carton the downward force exerted on the leading tissue gradually increases until such force is suflicient to exceed the gripping force of the constricting lips in dispensing slot 16. The result is that the protruding tissue 11a slides back completely through slot 16 and must be retrieved before dispensing can be resumed. Thus, under the abovedescribed conditions, fall back occurs because the effective frictional resistance of the upper smooth sur. face of film 15 on the protruding tissue is insufficient to hold it in place against gravitational forces. The latter sitnation is especially true when the flexible film 15 comprises conventional smoothsurfaced polyethylene or similar plastic films shown in the prior art. It has now been found that by increasing the coeflicient of friction on the upper surface of the film in the areas immediately adjacent dispensing slot 16 the fall back problem can be substantially eliminated. One means of increasing friction in such areas is to apply a colloidal silica layer or coating 17 to the upper surface of the film as shown in FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings. Other friction increasing means such as a layer of granular particles, or a layer of cellulose or similar fibers, may also be similarly applied. Such coatings or layers may be either adhesively attached or imbedded in the surface.

In addition to coatings, other means for increasing the coeflicient of friction of the upper surface of the flexible film may also be used. One such alternate means is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, where the coefficient of friction of the upper surface is increased by employing a number of spaced, upwardly directed punctures in the flexible material. As shown, the top wall 14a of a carton has flexible material 15a disposed therein with a longitudinally extending line of weakness 16a which may be broken to form a dispensing slot. Flexible material 15a is provided with a number of punctures 20 adjacent lines of weakness 16a, which punctures cause portions of the punctured material to protrude upwardly at 21, thus providing a roughened upper surface which increases the coefficient of friction of that surface.

FIGS. and 7 show another means for increasing the coeflicien't of friction. The upper surface of flexible film 15b disposed in the central opening of wall 14b is provided with a number of scratches or striations 22 on each side of line of weakness 16b. These striations may be provided by sandpapering or by scratching the upper surface of the film with card clothing or similar abrasive tools.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show still another form of the invention in which the coefficient of friction is increased. In this embodiment, the upper surface of flexible material 150 disposed in the central opening of wall is provided with a number of upwardly protruding embossments 23 on each side of line of weakness 160. The embossments 23 are shown as being of elliptical shape but they may be of various other configurations, as desired.

The above described means for increasing the surface roughness of the flexible material forming the constricting lips all refer to some method for modifying an originally smooth surface. It is also possible to provide flexible material with a roughened surface which is molded into the material while such material is being fabricated. For example, if plastic film is used, the extrusion die for such film can be designed to provide continuous thread-like lines on one surface of the extruded film. Also, the film can be extruded into contact with a chilled roll having a patterned surface of the desired roughness, whereby one side of the sheet is provided with a surface of similar contour. Still another means would be to roughen the surface of smooth film by chemical or solvent treatment during the process of manufacture.

While emphasis has been placed on increasing the coeflicient of friction between dispensed sheets and the upper surface of the smooth material forming the flexible constricting lips of the dispensing slot, it will be seen that dispensing action can also be improved and become smoother in function if the coefficient of friction between the undersurface of the material and dispensed sheets is decreased. Such a modification provides smoother, more silent dispensing, which is also a desirable physical attribute in this art. Thus, the flexible material forming the constricting lips of the dispensing slot may be additionally modified by coating the undersurface 18 in the area adjacent slot 16 with a friction reducing material such as silicone. Other friction reducing coatings may be used, such as the well known fluoro-chemicals including fluorocarbons and tetrafluoroethylene or the like.

Instead of modifying the upper surface of a low friction material to increase the coeflicient of friction, the constricting lips alternatively may be formed of material both surfaces of which inherently have a desirably high coefficient of friction when in sliding contact with dispensed sheets to prevent fall back; in such case, the undersurface 18 should be given a friction reducing treatment as described above.

While the invention is not limited to the employment of a particular type of flexible sheet material in the carton opening, thin plastic films are preferred. Polyethylene film of a thickness of, for example, one to five mils has been found especially useful. Other flexible films, tissues, thin paper or nonwoven web materials also may be used. The important characteristic being that they should have suflicient stretch and resilience to provide a constrictive gripping action.

The above-described example also describe two-ply tissue sheets as the material being dispensed. It will be understood that the invention may be readily adapted to other types of interfolded sheet material.

It is further understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific construction and methods shown and described, except insofar as the claims may be so limited, as it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made without departing from the principle of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an arrangement for dispensing interfolded sheets which comprises a form-sustaining container and a stack of interfolded facial tissue sheets disposed therein and in 5. which one wall of said container is provided with an elongate opening the underside of which is bridged by normally smooth-surfaced, thin, flexible material forming a pair of planar lip-like constricting members the edges of which are juxtaposed along and adjacent the longitudinal medial line of said opening and adapted to flex upwardly and downwardly out of said plane to provide a dispensing slot through which said sheets may be sequentially dispensed, the modification in which the upper surface of said flexible material in areas immediately adjacent said dispensing slot is visibly roughened to increase its coeflicient of friction and the lower surface of said flexible material in areas immediately adjacent said dispensing slot is smooth whereby said rough surfaces offer increased frictional resistance to sheets passing through said slot when said edges are flexed downwardly while said smooth surfaces offer substantially less frictional resistance to sheets passing through said slot when said edges are flexed upwardly.

2. In an arrangement for dipensing interfolded sheets comprising a container of form-sustaining sheet stock and a stack of interfolded facial tissue sheets disposed therein in which said container has a wall thereof provided with an elongate sheet dispensing opening and thin, normally smooth-surfaced, flexible material bonded to the inner surface of said wall bridging said opening and forming a pair of planar lip-like constricting members the edges of which are juxtaposed along and adjacent the longitudinal medial line of said wall and adapted to flex upwardly and downwardly out of said plane to provide a dispensing slot through which said sheets may be sequentially dispensed, the improvement in which the upper surface of said thin flexible material in areas immediately adjacent said dispensing slot is coated with friction-increasing material to increase its frictional resistance to sheets in sliding contact therewith when said edges are flexed downwardly.

3. The arrangement set forth in claim 2 in which said coating is a layer of colloidal silica.

4. The arrangement set forth in claim 2 in which said coating is a layer of granular particles.

5. The arrangement set forth in claim 2 in which said coating is a layer of fibers.

6. The arrangement set forth in claim 1 in which said visible roughness is provided by spaced punctures in said flexible material in which the portions of said flexible material broken by said punctures protrude above said upper surface.

7. The arrangement set forth in claim 1 in which said visible roughness is provided by longitudinal extending striations in said surface.

8. The arrangement set forth in claim 1 in which said visible roughness is provided by embossments protruding upwardly from said surface.

9. The arrangement set forth in claim 2 in which the bottom surface of said flexible material immediately adjacent said slot is coated with friction decreasing material to decrease its frictional resistance to sheets in slidin g contact therewith when said edges are flexed upwardly.

10. The arrangement set forth in claim 9 in which said coating is a silicone.

11. The arrangement set forth in claim 9 in which said coating is a fluorochemical.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,927,714 3/1960 Nelson 221-48 3,239,097 3/1966 Bates et al. 221-48 FOREIGN PATENTS 458,055 3/1928 Germany.

STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner. 

